1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to wait time estimation and more specifically to providing customers calling into a call center an improved estimate of the expected wait time prior to the call center taking the customer's call.
2. Introduction
When a consumer engages customer service, one of the most important concerns is how long that consumer will be required to wait before actually interacting with a Customer Service Representative (CSR). For example, at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), consumers can look at the line of people and decide if they want to wait in line now or come back at a different time. Many customer service organizations estimate and announce the current Estimated Wait Time (EWT) to customers as those customers begin waiting for the next available customer service agent. While at the DMV a consumer can simply look at the line of previous customers, consumers engaging with phone or on-line based customer service rely on the customer service organization to inform consumers of the EWT. This EWT announcement to the customer helps manage the customer's expectations for when the next agent will be available. For example, if the customer knows they must wait five minutes for an available agent, the customer can decide whether to keep waiting or hang up and try later. If the customer keeps waiting and the actual wait time is less than or equal to the announced wait time of five minutes, the customer experiences less disappointment or outrage if it indeed takes five minutes than if the customer had a false expectation that an agent would immediately field the call.
State of the art EWT calculations derive from current conditions and statistical data in the contact center. This calculation takes into consideration the number of operators, the number of callers already waiting in the caller queue, and statistics associated with previous calls, such as call durations and previous wait times. Despite these factors, the unique situations and characteristics of each individual caller creates wide variation in the accuracy of announced EWTs, causing some customers to become upset over what they consider an “excessive” wait time in light of the announced EWT.